A Day at the Zoo
by Malley
Summary: Set waaay back in Season 1. Jane takes Lisbon to the zoo to see the new tiger cubs that she mentioned. Pretty much pure fluff. This is dedicated to all my fellow writers out there because, let's face it, everyone can use some kinds words and encouragement now and again.


**Disclaimer: ****I do not own The Mentalist or any of its characters. **Insert witty comment here :)

**A/N:** I have been a part of this (mostly) wonderful community of Mentalist lovers for a few years now and I would like to share a little something with all of my fellow writers out there. As a writer, you need to be prepared for reviews, both positive, negative, or things that are just flat out rude and inconsiderate. I know that these can be very discouraging and that even if you receive hundreds of glowing reviews, that one negative one is the one that you will dwell on. I know from personal experience how impactful words can be, especially when people spew hurtful things, which is completely unacceptable and uncalled for (and those that do should be ashamed of themselves). I want to dedicate this story to anyone who has been hurt or saddened by the few bad apples out there and tell you to stop worrying about them. They are NOT worth your time. If they can't say anything nice, then they should not say anything at all. Constructive criticism is one thing, but flat out insults are not right. Keep writing and do not give up! There are many great people out there in the Mentalist community that are behind you! I am definitely one of them because I think that it is amazing that there are so many people out there that share a passion for great writing and the best television show ever. I would also like to dedicate this story to marshmallowdeviant for being an awesome person! I will now step off my soap box. I hope this story brings a few smiles, laughs and encouragement to anyone who needs it.

**A Day at the Zoo**

Teresa Lisbon smiled to herself as she opened an eye to peek at her alarm clock on the nightstand next to her bed. It was nine o'clock on Saturday morning and she was warm, in her bed, and quite content to sleep in until noon because she didn't have to report into the office today. No dealing with rude and inconsiderate people. No dead bodies. No killers. And most importantly, no Jane giving her a migraine and grey hairs. Life was good.

Lisbon snuggled into her pillow and pulled her blankets up to her chin. She was about to drift back into a peaceful slumber for another couple of hours when she heard a dreaded sound. The doorbell.

Lisbon considered grabbing her off duty weapon and bringing it with her to the door because whoever had disturbed her was a dead man. She groaned loudly as she threw back the covers and slowly and sleepily padded her way to her front door. Peeking through the peephole, she rolled her eyes and the sight of some blond curls moving gently in the warm breeze outside her door. _Of course it's him_, Lisbon thought to herself as she forced herself to open the door.

"What do you want, Jane?" Lisbon asked, annoyed.

"Morning, Lisbon!" Jane greeted cheerily. "Aren't you ready to go yet?"

He then stepped inside her house, leaving a dumbfounded Lisbon standing at her door.

"What are you talking about?" Lisbon questioned in response. "It's Saturday; I don't plan on going anywhere except back to bed."

"Come now, Lisbon," Jane began to say. "You promised me the other day that we were going to the zoo to see the new tiger cubs and we never did because that murder got in the way. So, we are going today!"

Lisbon shut her front door and then just turned and stared at the blond hair consultant making himself comfortable on her couch. "Chop chop, Lisbon. We want to get there soon so we can get a decent parking spot."

Lisbon opened her mouth to say something, but instead decided to just walk back up to her room. That was probably the safer idea. The other option was to simply shoot him.

Against her better judgment, Lisbon did indeed shower and dress to go to the zoo with Jane. Jane drove them, also against Lisbon's better judgment, to the local zoo and quickly ran through it to find the tiger exhibit.

"We can see all these animals later!" Jane called to Lisbon as he dragged her by the wrist through the park. "But first, the tiger cubs!"

Jane, like a little child, pushed his way through the crowds to reach the tiger exhibit. He beamed brightly at the sight of the two little tiger cubs snuggled up together in the corner of the exhibit, taking a nap. Lisbon soon found herself smiling as well. Jane nudged her gently.

"Wasn't this worth it?"

Lisbon just smiled and shook her head.

"Okay, Jane, I admit it. This was fun."

"Well let's make it a date, then."

"Say what now?"

Jane smirked at Lisbon's expression of both horror and intrigue.

"I'm not trying to seduce you, Lisbon." He assured her. "At least, I wouldn't do it at the zoo."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I just meant that you and I should spend the day here. It's a nice day, we don't have to be at the office; why not have a little fun?"

Lisbon couldn't argue with that logic.

"Well, I guess it's a date then."

Jane smiled brightly at her and then offered her his arm. She laughed and then linked her arm in his, ready to enjoy a day at the zoo with, she hated to admit, her best friend.

They, before they even realized it, spent the whole day at the zoo. Jane and Lisbon visited every exhibit in the zoo, from the elephants, to the lions, to the otters, to the zebras. Lisbon finally managed to stop laughing at Jane after he had stood in front of one of the monkeys and played a game of "monkey see, monkey do." After a while, she stopped trying to figure out which one was the consultant and which one was the primate, as both scratched their heads and make "ooo-ooo-ahh-ahh" sounds for all to hear. It was hard to determine if Jane was copying the monkey, or if the monkey was copying Jane.

They ate peanuts, popcorn, and cotton candy until Lisbon began talking about how Jane would need to run a marathon to burn off all those calories. That's when Jane quickly dragged her to another exhibit to distract her for a bit. As the sun began to set, they visited the gift shop where Jane purchased an "I saw the tiger cubs at the Sacramento Zoo" t-shirt for Lisbon despite her protests (and because he knew that she secretly wanted it).

"So, did you have fun today, Lisbon?" Jane asked as he and Lisbon casually strolled through the parking lot back to his car.

"If this is a ploy to get me to admit that you were right, it's not going to work. I've already admitted you were right more than enough times to last me a lifetime." Lisbon remarked.

Jane just smiled.

"I'll take that as a yes."

As she walked beside him, Lisbon couldn't help the smile that crept onto her lips. She really had enjoyed her day at the zoo with Jane. Not that she would ever admit it.

"We should do this every weekend!" Jane suggested.

"Don't push your luck, buddy."

Jane informed Lisbon that he would also be taking her out to dinner, to a place where she could order a salad he assured her. After dinner, he drove her home and then walked her to her door. Jane gave her a big hug and then smiled at her.

"Thanks for coming with me, Lisbon." He said. "That was the most fun that I've had in a long time."

Lisbon could tell by his voice that he sincerely meant every word. She smiled in return.

"You're very welcome, Jane."

Before she realized what she was doing, Lisbon leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Night, Jane," She wished him before heading inside her apartment.

Jane wished her goodnight as well and then just stood on her doorstep, a smile plastered on his face. His day at the zoo with Lisbon was the happiest day he had had in a long time. Jane spun on his heels and whistled a cheery tune as he strolled back to his car.

Lisbon, secretly watching him from her window, smiled to herself at Jane's good mood. As irritating as he could be at times, he could also be the sweetest and most caring person she had ever met. She didn't know how he did that, but what she did know was that she really was glad to have him as a part of her life.

* * *

Feel free to review the story if you'd like to, as I did not write this for that purpose. You can leave kind words to your fellow writers if you'd like to instead because a gesture like that can go a long way.

I hope that I made you laugh, smile, or just made your day a little brighter.

~Malley


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